THE USE OF ALBANIAN LANGUAGE IN NORTH MACEDONIA FROM THE INDEPENDENCE (1991) UNTIL THE OHRID FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT (2001)
Keywords:
inter ethnic relations, mother tongue, Constitution, identity, linguistic rightsAbstract
This paper aims to analyze the problem of the use of the Albanian language in North Macedonia, during the period between 1991 2001, as the initial period of political pluralism and the period of placing ethnic topics on the real agenda of social life. The theoretical basis of the paper are the theories expressed by: Banac, Ackermann, Petiffer, Brubacker and Lijphard, speaking on the dissolution of socialist federations and the replacement of communist ideology with unresolved ethnic issues. According to these theories, ethnic issues have remained in a state of hibernation within socialist multinational federations, while the communist ideology has never been able to be that amalgam which would suppress ethnic identities at the expense of a class ideology. This is the main reason that these federations were dissolved along ethnic lines. The common denominator of these dissolutions have been wars and conflicts of different sizes completed with peace agreements regarding the ethnic issues, whether they are of territorial or non territorial nature. The Albanian language and its use is not an issue that appears as uncnown issue in the newly independent Macedonia, on the contrary, the use of Albanian language it is regulated by the Constitutional documents of the socialist federal unit of Macedonia from 1946 until the last amendments of its socialist Constitution of 1989. The declaration of independence of Macedonia in 1991, will face the internal challenge of inter ethnic relations which have to be dealed on a different platform and out from the ideology of former Federation. In this direction, the aspect of the institutional use of the Albanian language as one of the identity values makes the core of the debate and the main challenge in the process of the first decade of state building of North Macedonia. In this paper, the base of analysis is the Constitution of independent Macedonia of 1991 and the place of the Albanian language within this document and the arguments and counter arguments regarding the official use of the Albanian language. Interest of this paper are also the recommendations of the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities regarding identity issues.
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